Types of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders don’t discriminate; it doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or boy, young or old, black or white. Instead of hating our bodies we should learn to celebrate every body.

Anorexia nervosa is characterized by weight loss, an intense fear of weight gain, food restriction, inappropriate eating habits, and obsessing over a thin figure. People suffering have the inability to see what their body truly looks like because they have a distorted body image. As the person becomes more emaciated, their image of themselves becomes more distorted.

Bulimia nervosa is episodes of binging and purging. A person will binge by consuming a large amount of calories in a restricted period of time almost always carried out in secret. The person is also afraid of weight gain, so they undo the binge by purging. Most common is self-induced vomiting, meanwhile others are overdosing on laxatives and excessive exercise.

Binge eating is an eating disorder in which a person consumes an abnormally large amount of food in a short period of time. During the binge, the person also feels a loss of control and is not able to stop eating. In this instance, they don’t undo the binge by purging. Afterwards, they typically feel disgusted, depressed, and guilty.

Pica is persistently eating nonfood items, such as soap, cloth, talcum powder or dirt, over a period of at least a month. Eating these nonfood items can result in medical complications such as poisoning, intestinal problems or infections.

Rumination disorder is repeatedly and persistently regurgitating food after eating, but it’s not due to a medical condition or another eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia, or binge-eating disorder. Food is brought back up into the mouth without nausea or gagging. Sometimes regurgitated food is rechewed and reswallowed or spit out.

Statistics

81

81% of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat. (NEDA)

30

At least 30 million Americans suffer from an eating disorder. (Eating Disorders Coalition)

How You Can Inspire Change

People in our communities, who we’ve known for years, are secretly suffering from this internal battle. If we don’t face the realities we may lose them. To end this cycle, we have to act now and do something.

To change an outcome, we need people to spearhead awareness campaigns in their communities. We encourage you to start conversations about the differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships with food.

Learning never ends – it’s important to expose people to the realities of eating disorders. There’s a stigma attached to mental illness, however, the only way to end this cycle is to educate others with valuable knowledge.

GET INSPIRED TO TAKE ACTION

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Reel Stories. Real People., Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) organization located in Jacksonville, Florida. Our mission is to tell stories that inspire, advocate, and educate the public on topics through digital media not typically showcased in traditional news media.